The office of Michael McCormack has released information that both his Government and the NSW Government will join forces in the near future to deliver what has been overdue for decades. No one will hold their breath for the delivery, but good on them for being seen to be doing something. Below is the Media Release from his office and then an opinion piece from us.
……………INDUSTRY partners are being invited to submit registrations of interest for the design and construct tender for the first stage of the Barton Highway upgrade. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the first stage of the highway upgrade will duplicate the highway from the ACT border towards Murrumbateman. “The Barton Highway is a critical link connecting communities on the Southern Tablelands in NSW and the ACT. This upgrade will significantly improve safety as well as journey reliability, ease congestion and boost freight productivity,” Mr McCormack said. “The Barton Highway upgrade demonstrates our commitment to building for the future. We’re investing now so that the community can have confidence that they will have the infrastructure we need to support a growing economy.” NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole called on industry to put forward innovative solutions that would maximise the length of road able to be duplicated under the program. “We are encouraging industry to be innovative to achieve the greatest distance of duplicated highway and deliver value for money while ensuring a focus on safety,” Mr Toole said. “We also want to make sure that there are opportunities for the local workforce from communities along the length of the duplication to participate, to provide employment during tough drought times, so we’ll be looking to partners that can provide that. “The community has been waiting for this, industry has been waiting for this, so we’re excited to be able to take the next step forward.” Senator for ACT Zed Seselja said the project requires upgrading the existing highway and building additional capacity from the NSW/ACT border towards Murrumbateman in NSW. “A duplicated highway will provide significant road safety benefits and more reliable journeys for the growing number of road users between Canberra and the Yass Valley, contributing to regional growth and increased freight efficiency along this strategic link,” Senator Seselja said. “The registration of interest is the first stage of the contract procurement process for the work, with the request for tender currently planned for early 2020.” State Member for Goulburn, Wendy Tuckerman said the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) will be finalised in the coming months and planning is also continuing for the duplication of the remaining sections of the Barton Highway, which includes intersection upgrades at Gooda Creek Road and Vallencia Drive. “Upcoming work also includes the delivery of $3.25 million investment in intelligent transport systems which will improve trip reliability and help better manage and reduce traffic incidents,” Ms Tuckerman said. “Permanent variable message signs, with fog detection systems, real travel time capabilities and closed circuit television monitoring will be installed at the northern and southern approaches of the Barton Highway.” The Australian and NSW governments are each providing $50 million over four years, with the Australian Government also committing an additional $100 million under the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative in the 2018-19 Budget………..
Opinion – Now The Reality. The Barton Highway duplication has been getting discussed since the 1970s when my parents were in the public service in Canberra. It has been discussed by nearly every regional politician since, including Schultz and Hodgkinson. The Yass Valley Council recently approved the Parkwood border development on the border with the ACT, recommending at its October meeting that rezoning of the land be approved. Parkwood is the NSW component of Riverview Developments’ proposed Ginninderry cross-border development being delivered in conjunction with the ACT Government, and will eventually hold 5000 dwellings. The 600-hectare Parkwood site includes 213 hectares being set aside within a Conservation Corridor adjacent to the Murrumbidgee River and Ginninderra Creek, downstream from the Ginninderra Falls.
The land will be rezoned from RU1 Primary Production and E3 Environmental Management to R1 General Residential, E2 Environmental Conservation and E3 Environmental Management, subject to state planning approval. How far will $100 Million get down the road towards Yass ? When design work needs to be delivered and land owners compensated for the horror of a tree on their property needing to be removed.
And yes the compensation can be in the thousands. When tracks of land are widened and land owners need to be compensated for a strip of land close to their boundary which needs to be sliced off to make the corridor wider, they also will collect a tidy sum. It may appear that the announcement is new and fresh and exciting, but the reality is that many people have lost their lives while those in the know have bought tracks of land between the ACT border and where the Barton returns to dual carriageway again near Yass. The question remains, will the road go through Murrumbateman, if it gets that far, or around it to the east or the west?
This duplication should have happened decades ago and should have been finished when the Hume was last upgraded over 20 years ago. Shame on both sides of politics for dragging their feet on a road full of black spots, named after our first Prime Minister. It has been a national disgrace. Let’s hope it can provide motorists with a safe road to travel to do their shopping and attend their medical appointments. It’s about time. Exhale.
